Welcome to this week's issue of Sources Hotlink.
This issue features articles that are centred around the theme of the
big overpowering the small; through physical violence, deception, law
and slander. Those who are powerful have always exerted their strength
to control the thoughts and behaviours of the weak. In the past, it was
straightforward -- through force. In modern times, however, this control
is much less obvious.

For
our marketers and public relations specialists, we offer guides in
internet marketing: one article on the current state of internet
communications and another article on search engine optimization. Also included in this issue is a film about corporate abuse of power and a book on news stories that stand the test of time.

Sources
has been connecting journalists with newsmakers since 1977. To find
experts, spokespersons, and story ideas on thousands of topics, please
browse the Subject Index or use the Search. For help in reaching the media and the public with your story and your views, use Sources’ media relations tools.To become a member, use this form.

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Media and Journalism news and analysis

Featured Articles on Sources.com

The Biggest Threat to Mexican Journalists Aren't Drug Cartels Anymore

Northern
Mexico and the drug cartels have dangerous reputations; especially for
journalists. This should come to a surprise to no one. This year,
however, the danger seems to have shifted in both location and source.
Of the six journalists that were killed in Mexico this year, all of them
were killed in the south; most likely at the hands of police officers
and politicians. Read more

How Iran Used WikiLeaks to Attack a Human Rights Defender

In
their latest attempt to discredit “terrorist” human rights defenders,
Iran has accused and slandered Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on the
human rights situation in Iran, of accepting bribes. Though the issue
has been resolved, Iran’s crusade against human rights activists neither
began nor ended with Shaheed and Shaheed isn’t the biggest fish they
are frying -- not by a long shot.Read more

As a state leader, public criticism is inevitable. How you deal
with it, however, is entirely up to you. When journalists put leaders in
a negative light, they can choose to correct their mistakes or the can
choose to respond with violence and repression. They can also react
emotionally with insults, defamation and racism. This is the state of
global leaders who, instead of permitting the freedom of speech, decide
to slander journalists who were just doing their job. Read more

How China's Online Civilization Army Turned a Youth Street Fight into a Patriotic Struggle

A bystander would tell you that it was just a fight between two
teens but, watching the news from home, you’d think it was a patriot
defending his country. This is a story about a propaganda campaign that
turned into a fist fight which was subsequently manipulated into a more
effective propaganda campaign. If there’s a story to be spun, China will
be there to spin it. Read more

Recent News Releases

Reporters Without Borders solidary with journalists from netzpolitik.org

August
9th – Reporters Without Borders is shocked that the German Public
Prosecutor General is currently considering treason charges
("Landesverrat") against two German journalists who run the blog
netzpolitik.org. It is the first time in more than 50 years that this
has happened in Germany. As an organization which fights for freedom of
information around the world, Reporters Without Borders is
disappointed that the Prosecutors’ office doesn’t hesitate to damage
Germany’s reputation of being a safe place for journalists. Read more

Privacy Badger 1.0 Blocks the Sneakiest Kinds of Online Tracking

August 9th – "It’s likely you are being tracked by advertisers and
other third parties online. You can see some of it when it’s happening,
such as ads that follow you around the Web that seem to reflect your
past browsing history," said EFF Staff Technologist Cooper Quintin,
lead developer of Privacy Badger. "Those echoes from your past mean you
are being tracked, and the records of your online activity are
distributed to other third parties - all without your knowledge,
control, or consent. But Privacy Badger 1.0 will spot many of the
trackers following you without your permission, and will block them or
screen out the cookies that do their dirty work." Read more

Fourth blogger on radical Islamist hit-list hacked to death

August 9th – Reporters
Without Borders is appalled to learn that Niloy Neel, a secularist
blogger and activist who had been threatened by Islamist militants, was
hacked to death today in his Dhaka home by five intruders armed with
machetes. He is the fourth blogger to be murdered in Bangladesh since
the start of the year.Read more

New Street-Level Surveillance Project Tracks Spying Technologies Used by Local Law Enforcement

August 9th – Responding
to a troubling rise in law enforcement’s use of high-tech surveillance
devices that are often hidden from the communities where they’re used,
the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today launched the Street-Level
Surveillance Project (SLS), a Web portal loaded with comprehensive,
easy-to-access information on police spying tools like license plate
readers, biometric collection devices, and "Stingrays.’" Read more

Getting Publicity: Connecting journalists and news makers

SEO and Press Releases

Every
modern marketer has become familiar with the letters SEO but not
everyone may know what it stands for let alone how to utilize it. Search
Engine Optimization is one of the most important concepts to consider
when you are trying to get your message out. When was the last time you
looked at page 2 of a Google search?Read more

The
times are changing. With the advancement of mobile technology,
marketers not only have worry about how many people visit their website
but also with what device. An effective internet marketing campaign
relies on consumers feeling comfortable with your website. As more and
more people begin to browse the internet on their smartphones, it’s
become imperative that websites become mobile-friendly.Read more

Topic of the Week: Human Rights

The
right to own property, the right to speak freely, freedom from
slavery, the right of education; what do these things have in common?
Morally, these are things that we feel that every human deserves by
right. Legally, they are. Unfortunately, many people in this world can’t
even comprehend these concepts. The state of human rights is better
than it ever was before, but we, as a species, have a long way to go. Read more

Website of the Week: Electronic Frontier Foundation

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is the leading nonprofit
organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. Founded in
1990, EFF champions user privacy, free expression, and innovation
through impact litigation, policy analysis, grassroots activism, and
technology development. They work to ensure that rights and freedoms are
enhanced and protected as our use of technology grows. Read More

A
film about a film. The documentary BANANAS!* criticized the businesses
practices of Dole which later instigated a lawsuit. In response, Dole
used aggressive media and public relations campaigns to suppress the
film and discredit the filmmakers. This is a story about swedish
filmmaker Fredrik Gertten and the financial and political influence of
corporate machines. Read More

Book of the Week: Daily News, Eternal Stories: The Mythical Role of Journalism

There is a tendency to see the news strictly in terms of facts. The
five Ws, argues Jack Lule, ought to make room for a sixth: What makes
it a story? In Daily News, Eternal Stories, Lule undertakes a series of
case studies in order to explain how news is given relevance or, in some
cases, unfairly shaped by myth, the "eternal stories" that predate the
printed word. Read More

Sources Calendar

Out on Screen

The 21st Annual Vancouver Queer Film Festival features 71 films
over 11 days in August. Major themes explored in the films include queer
youth, queer history, the queer Asian experience and queer champions of
hope. This year's Focus on Youth includes 22 films classified for youth
under age 18 years, as well as the youth-gala party NO HATE!

International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition

The United Nations' (UN) International Day for the Remembrance of
the Slave Trade and its Abolition is annually observed on August 23 to
remind people of the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade. It gives
people a chance to think about the historic causes, the methods and the
consequences of slave trade.

Enforced disappearance has become a global problem and is not
restricted to a specific region of the world. Once largely the product
of military dictatorships, enforced disappearances can nowadays be
perpetrated in complex situations of internal conflict, especially as a
means of political repression of opponents. Of particular concern are:

-->the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders, relatives of
victims, witnesses and legal counsel dealing with cases of
enforced disappearance;
-->the use by States of counter-terrorist activities as an excuse for breaching their obligations;
-->the still widespread impunity for enforced disappearance.

This handy guide to the complete Canadian political scene is yours for
only $75.00/yr + GST/HST. Subscriptions include online access to
Parliamentary Names & Numbers for one year (January 1 to December
31, or July 1 to June 30.) Subscribe online or call 416-964-5735.

Media Names & Numbers

Media Names & Numbers is
the one-stop print- and Web-based directory of Canada's media, with
listings for all print and broadcast media. You can access information
for more than 6,000 publications and stations, with essential contact
details including names of editors and producers, phone and fax numbers,
mailing addresses, E-mails, Web sites, and information about editorial
scope, circulation and audience size, languages, subscription prices,
and much more.

Your subscription includes access to the online version of Media Names & Numbers. Now you can get all this for only $109.95 +GST/HST. ( online subscription January 1 to December 31).Subscribe onlineor call 416-964-5735.

At Sources,
we’ve been helping organizations, companies, institutions, and
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